Most of us are glued to jobs for at least 8 hours a day- five days a week. We should be satisfied when working at a place of employment for that duration of time! Yes, work provides a paycheck, but a career provides stability and an opportunity to advance. Some haven't tapped into their fullest potential; and being comfortable also means that there may not be options for career growth. We constructively grow when we're taken out of our comfort zone, adapt new approaches and new patterns of thinking.

A perfectly structured resume is the key to opening the first door; whether applying for a promotion, new position, partnership or small business funding. When a new or improved direction is desired in life, your past needs to be presented in a marketable fashion. Resumes compile your life history in the job market, and as we learned in marketing 101, there's usually one opportunity to make a memorable impression. Your resume and cover letter is the FIRSTinteraction into new opportunities.

Knowing how to navigate the job market is another vital skill. Landing the position you desire, without settling takes negotiation skills and a head-hunting demeanor. Only being mentally ready to accept a career change isn't going to cut it. Competition is fierce in all job fields and your competition may have more degrees, job experience, skills and public relation insight. Pat Riley, President of Miami Heat said it best when he said; "Being ready isn't enough; you have to be prepared for a promotion or any other significant change."

Researching companies and your competition (other candidates competing for your competition) is essential, so you can prepare to show what you can bring to the table, that others can't.

Tell the employer what you can do for them, not what you want from them.

Use terminology thats heavily used in the field you work in.

Most of all, have one accomplishment for each position that can be useful to future employers.

Change is good; preparing for it is what separated the sayers, the hearers and the doers. I have witnessed candidates who've obtained Ivy League degrees that were overlooked because they weren't prepared. I've also seen candidates land careers with little or no experience; because they understood that the first job they had, was to brand themselves and SELL their career history to the highest bidder.